How to Style Soccer Jerseys (Guide for 2023) (2024)

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Soccer jerseys have come a long way from back in the day.

If you were born amongst the older generations, then you probably fondly remember the times where a soccer t-shirt was simply a plain colored top with not much in the way of design sophistication about it.

Well, that era is firmly behind us.

Today’s soccer jerseys come in a multitude of different colors and artistic patterns.

Just look at how striking Borussia Dortmund’s home jersey is for the current season:

It’s such a classy looking shirt!

For those of you who love to wear soccer jerseys like this, we’re going to give you some useful tips on style in this article, so that your overall fit can really complement what you put on.

Let’s get started then, shall we?

Steps to style a soccer jersey the right way

Obviously, it’s important to start with a little disclaimer that style is indeed subjective.

The way in which one person wears a jersey may not be the exact preference for how another person would wear the same sort of clothing.

With that being said, there are still a few fundamentals to soccer jersey styling that should really help you come out of that dressing room looking like a fashionista.

Take a look at our list of tips to find out how.

1. Pick a jersey replica that fits your established wardrobe

First things first, go with a replica kit.

This isn’t a fake or bootleg version of your favorite team’s jersey, no.

Replica jerseys are actually fully-sanctioned and licensed by clubs for reproduction, with the only major difference between them and original shirts being the fact that they aren’t form fitting.

They fit just like a normal t-shirt would, and some of the replicas are so good quality-wise these days that the fabric is able to hold up after multiple washes in the machine.

But most importantly, replica jerseys will save you quite a pretty penny which is good for your wallet, and that allows you more flexibility when it comes to styling later on.

So, once you’ve decided to buy your replica jersey, you’re then going to consider how this piece of clothing will fit in with the rest of your outfits.

That means considering the sort of pants and shorts you have in your closet, because soccer jerseys have quite a few style variations themselves.

For example, you’ve got jerseys that feature things like:

• Traditional fold over collars;
• Shoulder stripes;
• Crew cuts;
• V necks; and
• Side strips

The last thing you’d want is for you to match your existing pair of skinny fit chinos with a jersey that has pretty bulky sleeve cuffs!

But again, style is very subjective so you do you.

2. Pick the right jersey size

This is a big one.

Make sure you get the correct size fit for your jersey, as you don’t want to bring unwanted attention to yourself for wearing something that’s too baggy or way skinny.

Simply get yourself a jersey that fits you in the way a normal t-shirt would.

You don’t have to opt for those tight skin-fit jerseys that you see professional soccer players wearing on the field.

They put those on because of the performance benefits offered when in competition, such as better mobility and making it difficult for opponents to grab onto the shirt when tussling for possession.

So, go for a more relaxed fit with regard to sizing.

And also consider whether you’ll be wearing additional clothing underneath or on top of the jersey when it comes to tightness, because there may be scenarios where a vest or a good base layer would be suitable as an underlayer especially when the weather is quite cold.

3. Think about how colors will match together

Borrowing on from the first point concerning how the jersey fits together with your existing wardrobe, think about the sort of shade you’re going for.

If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t like to mix and match different colored t-shirts with your trousers, then you’d probably want to go for a regular pair of blue jeans to go with your new jersey.

This is a safe matching choice as you can’t go wrong with blue jeans and a white tee.

On the flip side, if you’re someone who likes to experiment with different sorts of colors in your wardrobe then we have some suggestions you should try out.

For starters, note that bright colors work well with muted accents.

So, with the Borussia Dortmund jersey that’s linked right at the start of this article for example, you could wear it with a pair of black pants and similar colored shoes.

However, you don’t have to be restricted to the darker shades here, as adding little boost of color can make the overall fit stand out even more

More so, when it comes to colors, a good rule of thumb to abide by is to avoid wearing pants and jerseys that are of the same color.

It doesn’t look bad per se, as there are some exceptions to this which look quite good such as a white jersey and a matching pair of pants, but you should try and stick to separate accent colors such as black, white or grey.

4. Pay attention to your pants and shoes

Next up, you’re going to want to really think about the bottom half of your overall outfit and how you’re going to draw attention away from it.

This point is backed up by one of the world’s best soccer stores:

“The most important rule of thumb to keep in mind when dressing your bottom half is to go for something fairly muted. Soccer jerseys are often loud and colorful, and even if you can get a bright pair of shorts that matches your kit, you really want all the attention in the way of your outfit to be directed at your top half. Jeans work great, as do a pair or chinos or the like. Black jeans or darker colored pants will go over even better, as you’re probably best-off steering away from bright shaded blue jeans when possible.”

Source – World Soccer Shop

When it comes to your shoes, you’ve got a little bit more freedom.

For instance, think about how black contrasts really well with white.

So, if you’ve gone for a look that features black sweat pants then you can easily top it off with some clean white Nike Air Force 1’s.

Check these out:

5. Accompany your style with accessories

Finally, you can style your soccer jersey by adding some cool accessories to your overall outfit.

Things like bucket hats, wristbands, necklaces and jackets can really accentuate and complement your style in a way that makes the jersey itself really stand out.

If you go for a jacket, make sure its fully zip able and wear it whilst unzipped, because the soccer jersey is the main area of the outfit that you want to really show off.

You can also go for tracksuit-like coats from brands like Nike and Adidas, as they have really light and form-fitting products that can add to the overall look and feel of your dress.

Does what you wear with a soccer jersey really matter?

Ultimately, what you wear with a soccer jersey does matter when it comes to fashion sense.

If you’re trying to look stylish and fashionable, you’re going to want to have the right fit of jersey, accompanied by matching colors and things like muted legwear and minimalist accessories that bring the shine to the top half of your look.

Hopefully this article will have shed a lot of light on how you can go about doing that.

We’ll leave you with a video of a soccer jersey styling guide that we hope you can draw some useful nuggets of advice from:

For similar content about soccer jerseys on our blog, check out the linked articles down below:

• Why Fly Emirates is printed on soccer team jerseys;
• The meaning of the stars embroidered onto soccer jerseys;
• A product roundup of the best goalkeeper jerseys to buy; and
• Whether soccer jerseys can be ironed

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